Always
by company.x
Summary: Kate just wanted to be a part of something. But when she arrived at Camp X that something was more than she ever could have imagined. As Kate and a team of 5 other spies fight for a free France, things get increasingly difficult and her feelings for one of her teammates begins to cloud her judgment.
1. Chapter 1

_Breath in. Breath out._

She was so close, she could feel it. Her hands shook as she turned the corner. She raised her hand, holding onto the gun like her life depended on it, which in this case it did.

 _3, 2, 1..._

She took the shot.

The lights came up and she collapsed to the floor as a few people came in to replace the scarcrow she had just shot. A training exercise.

"Good work, Katherine. Much better than yesterday." Sinclair commented as he helped the young girl to her feet. "Yeah, well it's not getting any easier." Kate sighed, her dark hair fell in front of her face. 22 years old, she'd never killed anyone in her life. She hadn't even been this far away from home before. She thought she was signing up for something different, she thought she'd be sitting behind a desk or something. Sinclair said Camp X had something more for her. But did she really want something more? "It's not an easy thing to do. But you'll learn." Sinclair told her. Kate leaned against the wall and put her head in her hands. "Ho do we know I'm going to be able to do this when it's a real person?" She asked, more unsure of herself than ever. "We'll we're about to find out. I'm sending you to France with one of our teams." He took notice of the terrified look on Kate's face. "They'll look after you, I promise." He said calmly. Kate nodded and let out a sigh before gesturing for Sinclair to lead the way.

In a room on the other side of the camp 5 agents sat in anticipation of a new arrival. "New and young, I don't like that combination." Neil said. "I'm sure she's got assets. Sinclair wouldn't put her on the team if she didn't." Aurora said calmly. Neil rolled his eyes and looked out the window. Harry was trying to fix an old radio, Tom watched him. Aurora sat next to Alfred and watched the door patiently, eager for another female agent. A few minutes passed and Sinclair walked into the room with Kate at his heel. "Team, this is Katherine Avery. She'll be joining you on your next mission." He said. "You can just call me Kate." She smiled at the others as she took note of their demeanors. "Neil Mackay, former cop from London." Sinclair gestured to Neil who was leaning against the wall by the widow. Neil nodded at her. He looked gruff and intimidating but she saw a softness behind his eyes. "Alfred Graves, he has senthstysia and remebers everything he sees." Sinclair said. Alfred shook her hand and Kate smiled. He seemed timid, but determined. "Tom Cummings, our American Ad man." Tom gave her a charming smile. He was persuasive and handsome, a deadly combination. "Aurora Luft, your commanding officer." Aurora stood up and greeted Kate. Her energy was warm and inviting, she had kind eyes, but there was hurt behind them. "And Harry James, Radio transmitter and explosives extrodinaire." Harry looked up from his radio and his eyes locked on Kate. He pushed his glasses up his nose. "Hi." He said quietly. Kate smiled, he was cute, dorky. Young, but strong. "Lovely to meet you all." Kate said, a friendly smile still on her face, she tried not show her anxiousness. "What's so special about you then." Neil said with a condescending tone. "Neil." Aurora turned to him and gave him a look. Kate moved closer to him, "No it's alright. I get it, I'm new, you don't trust me yet. But in the few moments that we've spent together I know more about you than just your name." She said with a sort of sassy smile. Neil stood up straight and looked her in the eyes. "Alright. Let's hear it then." He said. "You used to be a cop so you know how to fight, this isn't your first rodeo. You're tough, you like to intimidate people, that's why you only acknowledged me with a nod when I came in. But when you look closer, there's a softness behind your eyes, you've lost someone you love. And that's why you're here. To fight for people who can't fight for themselves. So no one else has to feel the loss that you've felt." Kate crossed her arms to mimic his stance. Everyone stood in awe and watched the two stare at eachother. "How much did you tell her." Neil asked Sinclair without braking eye contact with Kate. "Only what you heard me tell her. Kate's an analyst and a writer with a background in psychology, she can read people and draw intel based on what she sees." Sinclair said. "There's always a story. You've just gotta look for it." Kate commented. There was a pause. "Cute trick, but don't think for a second that you know me." Neil said to her before turning and walking away. "Sorry about him. He's just, you know." Harry said hoping she wouldn't take it personally. Kate shook her head and smiled. "Some people don't take well to it at first. He'll come around." She said. Harry smiled back at her. "I'll let you all get acquainted. You'll get your mission in the morning." Sinclair nodded before leaving the room.


	2. Chapter 2

There was an awkward silence before Aurora spoke up. "So, Kate, where are you from?" She asked. Kate hesitated for a minute before answering. "Saskatchewan, small town." She said. "Ah, prairie girl." Tom smiled. Kate nodded. "That's quite a drive you made." Alfred commented. Before Sam could answer Neil walked back in, he had been listening from the other room. "What's the matter, not enough people to psychoanalyze out there." He said. "Neil that's enough." Aurora told him.

 _You shouldn't have come on so strong._ Kate thought to herself with a small sigh.

She walked over towards Tom and Harry, deciding to leave Neil alone until he got used to having her around. "What are you working on?" Kate asked Harry who was still tinkering with the radio. She sat next to Tom who smiled at her sweetly, trying to undercut some of the hostility she was getting from Neil. "Just an old radio." Harry answered without making eye contact with Kate. "Sorry, my friend here has trouble talking to pretty girls." Tom said, teasing Harry like he was his younger brother. "I do not." Harry rolled his eyes. Kate moved over to get a closer look at the radio. She leaned over Harry's shoulder and he looked over at her shyly. "Would you like me to show you how?" He asked. "Sure, radios have never really been my strong suit." She admitted. "It's easy once you get the hang of it. Here see..." Harry started showing Kate how to fix the radio. Aurora and Alfred watched from the other side of the room and Aurora smiled. "Look at how she deals with everyone individually, she knows how to get them to talk to her and trust her. It's amazing." She said. Alfred nodded and looked over at Neil who was still brooding by the window. "So Katie, what brings you to Camp X?" Tom asked as he watched her and Harry work on the radio. "Well for starters, don't call me Katie." She said with a playful smile. "And, I just wanted to be part of something..." She told him. She dropped her gaze to the floor, her hair fell infront of her face.

 _Okay, that sounded cheesy... Come on Kate._

"Ever done anything like this before?" Harry asked. Kate looked up and shook her head. "Never even been this far from home before." She told them. "What'd you do before this?" Tom pushed for more information. Kate noticed that everyone was listening now, she smiled nervously and leaned against the table behind her. "I, uh, used to write for the local paper back home. Not that exciting I know." She said softly, tucking her hair behind her ear. "No that's great. What kinds of things did you write about?" Aurora asked. Kate appreciated her interest. "It used to be the typical boring small town puff pieces until the war started. Then I actually got a chance to write about things that people cared about. I interviewed the kids that were getting shipped out and I thought, they're going out there and they know they might not be coming home. You could see it in their eyes. They were people I knew, people I grew up with. That's why I came out here, really. I thought if I could do something, anything, I could try to help bring more of them home." She told them. Kate looked up to see the others smiling with admiration, Neil was looking at the floor, he felt badly for the way he acted towards her before. "Well, it's late... I'll see you guys in the morning?" Kate smiled before leaving the room and walking back to the other side of camp. "Wow... she's something else isn't she?" Tom said after he was sure Kate was gone. The others nodded in agreement. "Can't wait to see what she can do." Aurora smiled.


End file.
